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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 13:22-30

Do you belong to any club? Membership in a club is always exclusive. It is very difficult to gain membership in a club. A club is not for everybody.

I read a story about a man who had his application approved by a certain club. But he was very disappointed when his application was approved. He sent the officers of the club a telegram that said, “Please accept my resignation. I don’t want to belong to a club that accepts me as member.” That man’s disappointment was absurd, but he was coming from the common view that gaining membership in a club should be very difficult. The more difficult to be a member of a certain club, the more that club is exclusive. The more exclusive a club is, the more that club is sought after. But every club has strict rules regarding who should be in and who should be out. We may call this set of rules as the “door policy” of every club.

St. Luke narrates to us in the gospel today that God’s kingdom has a door policy too. Clearly, he says that membership in God’s kingdom is not automatic. Although God want all men and women to be saved, the door policy of His kingdom is very strict and must be satisfied by those who wish to enter it.

While Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, where He will fulfill the most difficult and strictest consequence of His fidelity to God and love of humankind, someone asked Him how many will be saved in the end. Instead of engaging in arithmetic, Jesus gives a practical advice about soteriology or the theology of salvation: “Try to enter through the narrow door because, I tell you solemnly, many will try to enter through it but will fail.” The door of God’s kingdom is not wide that anyone may enter through it easily and in a jiffy. No, the kingdom of God has a door that is narrow and each of those who wish to enter it must struggle through.

But the door of God’s kingdom is not only narrow. We often forget what St. Luke reminds us today: the kingdom of God has a door that will not remain open forever. There is an appointed time when that door will not only be closed but will also be locked for good. And when that hour comes, those who are left outside will never be allowed to go in anymore at any cost. The narrow door will become a locked door. The little time will become no more time. We cannot afford to dilly-dally nor come late. When left outside, we will never be admitted anymore even if our knuckles bleed from knocking on heaven’s door. Instead, the Lord will even say to us, “I do not know you. Depart from Me!” Reminding Him of our status and achievements will never do.

What is even more painful for those who will be out is to see who are in. Those who think that they are members of God’s Club will be shocked to realize that they are actually not counted in while those whom they consider out of it are truly the ones who belong to it. This is a clear warning for those who are self-assured of their status in relation to God’s kingdom. At the appointed time, all will be revealed and the words of the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading today will be fulfilled. The door policy of God’s kingdom never fails to surprise us: we are not one hundred percent sure of who is “in” and who is “out”. In God’s kingdom, we do not know who is coming for dinner.

Nonetheless, there is a clear sign that we can hold on to as regards who will most probably gain access unto God’s kingdom and live with Him forever. In Mt 25:34-40, Jesus clearly defines the character of those who belong to God’s kingdom: those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned. In a word, compassionate love – aside from God’s mercy – alone will help anyone satisfy the door policy of God’s kingdom. Love likewise summarizes the list of those whom Jesus considers blessed in Mt 5:3-12. Thus, St. John of the Cross wrote, “At the twilight of life, we shall be judged on love.”

The kingdom of God is for all humankind. But did Jesus ever say that all humankind would enter the kingdom of God? Jesus died and rose back to life for all men and men and made them children of God. But do all men and women live as children of God? Jesus redeemed all peoples. But do all receive His gift of redemption? God loves us all. Do we truly love all peoples?

The kingdom of God has a door that is narrow and will close someday. If we dilly-dally, we will no wonder be locked out from that kingdom. Remember: Nothing can be too impressive for God except one – love.

Come without any delay and let us join God’s Club! It is not easy, but not impossible. Application forms are available for all in this Eucharist. Join now! What are we waiting for – the locking of doors?

WHY NOT?

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 12:49-53

Even before I was born, my father wanted to name me Carlo Magno. But he decided otherwise. Though my mother wanted to name me Angelito or Raulito, my father prevailed and named me Roberto. He used to tell me that the first time he saw me at the nursery of the Far Eastern University Hospital, he noticed that I was a spitting image of his brother who passed away just a few months before I was delivered. My uncle’s name was Roberto.

Sometimes, I wonder if my uncle’s name and mine – as well as my two cousins’ names, both Roberto also – were taken after the famous Senator Robert F. Kennedy, brother of the only Catholic President of the United States of America, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Why not? However, both Bobby and John died by an assassin’s bullet.

Robert “Bobby” F. Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968 in Los Angeles, California. According to his brother, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, what Bobby fought, lived, and died for is the best summary of the speech he gave to the youth in South Africa in 1966.

In his speech to the young people of South Africa, Bobby spoke about his reflection on discrimination, apartheid, slavery, poverty, violence, hunger, and violation of human rights. “What can a man or a woman can do,” asked Bobby, “against these enormous evils He himself answered. “Some of us,” Bobby said, “will have greatness to bend history, but each one of us can try to change a small portion of the events, and the sum total of all those acts will write the history of this generation.”

This is exactly how Robert “Bobby” Kennedy lived and died. “Bobby,” said his brother Edward, “was a simply a good and decent man who saw evil and tried to correct it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.”

The life and death of Robert “Bobby” Kennedy have some similarities with the life and death of Jeremiah the Prophet and Jesus the Christ. The three of them spent their lives trying to change the course of human history by fighting evil and doing good.

In the first reading today, after pleading with his people to return to God lest a national tragedy would befall them, Jeremiah was falsely accused to being a traitor. His own people threw him down a muddy well to die. This time, he was saved by Ebed-melech’s mediation with King Zedekiah. But, in another time, his own people would still kill him when his prophecies were fulfilled.

In the gospel, the words of Jesus regarding His mission are also disturbing. He metaphorically used the image of lighting a fire and described His death as a baptism He had to undergo. And history repeated itself, for as it was with Jeremiah who came before Him, Jesus, too, was murdered by His own people who connived with the Roman colonizers. The great difference, however, is that, three days after His death, Jesus triumphantly rose back to life.

Jeremiah, Jesus, and Robert “Bobby” Kennedy – they all dedicated them selves to the struggle for the good of their people; they all were controversial and caused division among the people; they all were martyred, shedding their own blood for what they believed in and fought for.

Is our calling unto Christian discipleship any different from theirs? Can we look at the evils around us and not ignite in righteous anger? Is anger, no matter how righteous, all that we have? Are we cowards and, therefore, we cannot make a stand and fight for what is truly right? Are we indifferent? Will we not act as disciples of Jesus the Christ?

Jeremiah, Jesus, and Robert “Bobby” Kennedy were not contented with the status quo. They saw how things were. They dreamt and act. They preached and struggled. They lived and offered their lives for what is right.

Robert “Bobby” Kennedy once said:

“Each time someone makes a stand for the right or acts to improve
the condition of others or fights injustice, he creates little ripples of
hope. And crossing paths from different million centers of energy
and risk, those tiny ripples build a current that sweep down the
mightiest wall of oppression and resistance.”

We were all created by the Divine Light to light a fire upon the earth. Through the kind of life we live, we can set ablaze those that are engulfed by darkness and those who die in the cold. May the courage of the Prophet Jeremiah be ours to ignite such a fire by our preaching. May the faith of Robert “Bobby” Kennedy be ours to spread such a fire by our dreams. May the love of Jesus be ours to keep such a fire burning by our deeds.

Robert “Bobby” Kennedy often said: “Some people see how things are and they ask, ‘Why?’ I dream of things that never were and I say, ‘Why not?’”

Yes, why not?

WHAT FUNDS YOUR RISK?

19th Sundy in Ordinary Time
Lk 12:32-48

He was very young when he became king: Alexander the Great. Enthroned at twenty years old, Alexander was an image of a worried youth. His father had just been murdered by during his sister’s wedding banquet. The assassin: a noble of his own father’s court circle. Alexander could only surmise that he was encircled by his enemies from both within and without. One of his first campaigns was to overcome the rebellion in his own kingdom in Macedon. This he had to wage vis-à-vis the effort to silence those who, because of his youthful age, question his ability to rule and fight for his kingdom. Alexander, however, swiftly accomplished both.

A story goes that once while leading his army of 40,000 men through Asia Minor, Alexander became gravely ill. His physicians were very much afraid to treat him because if they fail to heal him, they could be accused of malpractice and his soldiers would behead them. One, however, took the risk. His name was Philip, a physician who had great confidence in both his friendship with Alexander and in his own medicine.

While Philip was preparing the healing potion, Alexander received a letter from Philip’s enemy, accusing Philip of the being bribed by the king of Persia to poison him. After reading the letter, Alexander slipped it under his pillow and never showed it to anyone. When Philip brought him the liquid remedy, Alexander took from him the cup as he gave Philip the letter. While Philip read the contents of the letter, Alexander drank the contents of the cup. After reading the accusation made against him by the letter, Philip fell down in fear for his life, but Alexander assured him of his complete confidence in him. Three days thereafter, Alexander recovered and continued leading his army.

Considering that his father was murdered by one of his own noblemen, Alexander showed Philip great trust. But his decision to drink the medicine prepared by one who was accused of the evil intent to poison him was not foolishness: though he could not see what was to happen, Alexander believed in what he saw – Philip’s loyalty – and acted on that belief. Alexander was certain that he and Philip had the same hope: his own recovery. As the Letter to the Hebrews say, “To believe is to be certain of the things hoped for, the assurance of the things that could not be seen.”

Our second reading today describes Abraham as a man “almost dead”. He was already very old, and the same is true with his wife. It was already very impossible for them to have their own child. But their faith in God enabled them to believe in what they could not see. Faith helped them to create a vision of what the future would be. They lived guided by that vision of faith and they were rewarded with a son. They journeyed toward the promised land “not knowing where they were going”. Faith in God was the only map in their hands.

Upon reaching the land shown them by God, Abraham and his wife lived there as a stranger without any right. They trusted that their own descendants would live as citizens of that land someday. But Abraham gazed even beyond as he looked out from his tent: he fixed his eyes on another city that God Himself would build. Abraham’s faith empowered him to see things as parts not of his present experience but of the future. As Tennesse Williams said, “Time is the longest distance between two places.” Abraham looked at another place and time where and when he could live in his own homeland, sharing God’s address.

Because of his deep faith in God, Abraham was able to take a risk. Where he went, he brought with him his treasure; his treasure was very much part of him; he could not, for any reason, separate from his treasure. His real treasure was his faith in God, and his heart was where he kept his treasure. Jesus desires the same for all His disciples. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is there will your heart also be.” But we first need to ask our selves: “What is my real treasure?”

So, what really lies inside our treasure box? What do we truly value in life? If we were to list honestly what we really value, we are certain to betray our selves. If we want to know what a person cherishes in his heart, we must first know what is inside his treasure box. To see where a person puts his trust is to see the condition of his heart.

The gospel today asks us: Is our treasure the kind that never fails us? The kind of treasure that Jesus keeps on talking about is that which cannot be stolen or destroyed. If we were to be pick pocketed or held-up or robbed right now, would our treasure stay with us nonetheless?

Abraham risked everything, but his risk is funded by his own treasure – his faith in God. Alexander, too, risked his own life when he drank the potion that Philip prepared, but his risk is funded by his treasure too – his trust in the loyalty of his physician-friend. Jesus risked everything, but His risked is funded by His own treasure as well - His great love for the Father. Is our treasure that immense that it can fund the risk demanded from us by the gospel?

Before we ask our selves what we dare risk, we must first ascertain what funds our risk.